History in the Making | The Clause

After many years of putting in hard work, APU is ready for a new challenge. That challenge is joining NCAA.

On July 13, according to APU?s athletic website, ?APU has been approved by the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) for Year Two of the three -year Division II membership process.?

The second year membership process is also known as the Year Two Candidacy. In the second year membership all sports except for football have begun playing as a first-year member in NCAA Division II?s Pacific West Conference. The football team, on the other hand, has already begun their season by playing as a member of the Division II?s Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

According to the Athletic Website, APU?s President Jon R. Wallace said, ?Acceptance of our application for membership into NCAA Division II represents a great honor and distinction for our university. This occasion also reflects our genuine desire to raise the bar on intercollegiate athletic competition following nearly five decades of active and highly successful membership in the NAIA.?

He went on to add, ?We look forward to achieving full membership and are enthusiastic about the prospect of competition at a new level, one that will bolster our athletic program, strengthen our institutional image, and exemplify our shared values.?

The NCAA was formed in 1906 to help and protect young players from getting seriously injured and overworked at practices, especially in college football. When students played college football, many would get gang tackled which caused serious injury and even deaths, resulting in some universities discontinuing their football programs.

According to the NCAA organization website, ?In 1905, Chancellor Henry M. MacCraken of New York University convened a meeting of 13 colleges and universities to initiate changes in football playing rules.? On Dec. 28, 62 universities and colleges became the first members of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States.

On March 31, 1906, the IAAUS was established, but then changed its name to National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) in 1910. The first NCAA national championship was in 1921 for the National Collegiate Track and Field Championship.

Now the NCAA looks over 23 sports and 89 national championships. There are over 430,000 student-athletes and more than 1,000 colleges and universities that associate with the NCAA.

?As every day goes by we realize what a good decision it was to join NCAA,? Athletics Director Gary Pine said.

Pine said it was hard to leave NAIA, as he was loyal?to the friendships he had made, but there is no regret with their decision.

?It has been very exciting amongst the coaches, athletes, and throughout the campus,? Pine said.

Even though the beginning of the season has been a little challenging, Pine knows that APU is now at a tougher level.

?All the coaches are saying, ?that?s fine let?s raise the bar,?? Pine said. ?We need to respond.?

Additionally, the NCAA takes rules and obligations very seriously. They make sure they oversee all aspects of eligibility, recruiting, and financial aid and benefits.

According to the athletes, the new rules will make a difference for the seasons to come.

In the course of time there will be a plan about an increase on scholarships and coaching staffs.

Pine added, ?We are going to put together a plan, but we do not have a specific time on when that plan is going to take place.?

?I am looking forward to competing into a new conference, different teams, and very excited to build relationships with everyone,? junior?social?science major and member of the track and field team Kelsey DeGan said.

Even though she will have graduated when the process is done, DeGan said she is very excited to see the new recruits and how NCAA reflects many APU beliefs.

?The mindset the coaches always tell us to follow is the school motto ?GOD First,?? DeGan said. ??They tell us to live a balanced lifestyle, which is what NCAA is as a student athlete.?

Both coaches and athletes alike are excited for this upcoming year and are ready to step up and see what the future holds for each of their teams.

Football Head Coach Victor Santa Cruz, who has been head coach for seven seasons, said that APU has been putting in a lot of hard work and it is just the right thing and the right time.

?The team is excited, thankful, and thrilled about joining NCAA,? Cruz said. ?They have a lot more pride; they love their school, and love playing at APU.?

The competition is hard each year; so, in that regard, the mindset has remained the same,??Cruz added.

?Every season has its own life, it has its own unique challenge,? Cruz said. ?We are looking forward to playing everyone. It is going to be a great experience, a great challenge, and a chance to show who we are and it gives us the opportunity to play football.?

Men?s Soccer head coach David Blomquist agrees that it will be something new and the team has been working very hard.

In the last two years Blomquist has taken the men?s soccer team to NAIA top 15 rankings and is coming from a back to back 16 game winning season.

?We are ready for the challenge and ready to step up. The team is very excited.?NCAA is a very big association for major college sports;?to be a part of this association is great and hopefully we will do well,? Blomquist said.

For some coaches, it is the opportunity that the players have in the NCAA that excites them the most.

?It is very good for us,? softball head coach Carrie Webber said. ?We are very excited about the new competition and that we have been given this opportunity.?

Webber is beginning her fourth season as head coach.

?This season we have 16 girls, 10 of whom are?seniors,? Webber said. ?The seniors are ready to leave their legacy. The team wants to leave their mark in APU history.?

Women?s basketball head coach T.J Hardemen said that APU?s?joining the NCAA is a great platform.

?We get to show what makes us different,? Hardemen said. ?This new competition looks very good and we want to get ready for it.?

The women?s basketball team has lost many of their main contributors,?Hardemen said.

?It feels like a new team,? Hardemen said. ?It is exciting to see who is going to step up.?

For other sports such as the Water Polo,?Swimming, and Diving teams, the transition into NCAA has a positive impact.

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?The scheduling does not change. We have always played teams who are in NCAA,? Water Polo head coach Julianne Snodgrass said. ?Now we are able to compete in competition and have the chance to have a conference.?

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Swimming and Diving head coach Timothy Kyle said APU?s?transitioning into NCAA is a step in the right direction.

?It will put the school out there more academically and draw more students here at the campus,? Kyle said. ?The next two years are going to be a stepping stone.?

To athletes, APU?s?transitioning into NCAA is really good for the Athletic Program.

?We have been dominant in the NAIA for the past years,? DeGan said. ?It is good to have more competition.?

The athletes are more than ready for the competition and happy that their time is finally here.

?It?s a whole new level that?gives us a chance to showcase who we are,? junior business management major and basketball player Tyler Monroe said. ?It is a good opportunity for us all.?

? It?s a blessing to be part of the transition and to be part of history,? senior applied exercise major and basketball player Justin Jones said. ?As an athlete, it?s a big accomplishment and we are ready to take the next step.?

To athletes, this season is different from past seasons now that they are in NCAA because now they get to compete with teams that are nationally ranked.

?It?s like going from basic addition to complex word problems,? junior communications major and quarterback Tyler Tuiasosopo said. ?When you step up in NCAA conference, we are playing teams that are nationally ranked. We?re playing teams that are at a different level physically and genetically. You know what we thought was good enough last year is mediocre in the league we?re in now.?

Sophomore history major and quarterback Tyler Jamison said the more things the team approaches, the more intense the team becomes because the competition is better.

?Half our team is new,? Jamison said. ?So people are young and they are getting to know the offense and it?s been very challenging. It?s been less intense because there are more rules restricting how much we can practice, though.?

APU has already started their?year two candidacy for the NCAA. After completing their second year they will go on to their third year. After completing the third year of the membership process, also known as the provisional year, APU will be a full member in the NCAA. In the seasons of 2014-2015 the Cougars will be able to compete for NCAA Division II championships.

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Source: http://www.theclause.org/2012/09/history-in-the-making/

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